Starting mechanism for automobiles



Patented Jan. 12, 1926.

UNITED STATES 1,569,371 PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES H. HODGKINS, OF PITTSBI IRGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T0 WESTING- HOUSE ELECTRIC 8c MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A. CORPORATION OF PENNSYL- VANIA.

STARTING MECHANISM FOR AUTOMOBILES.

Application filedneceinber 21, 1920. Serial No. 432,381.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES H. Honcnms, a subject of the King of Great Britain, and a resident of Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Starting Mechanisms for Automobiles, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to starting mechanisms for automobiles and, particularly, to starting mechanisms wherein motor pinions are moved axially into mesh with engine gear wheels. v

One object of my invention is to provide a startingmechanism that shall move the motor pinion axially into mesh with an engine gear wheel in a simple and efficient manner and that shall be provided with s ring members of difi'erent strengths for absorbing the shocks occasioned either upon clashing of the gear teeth or upon the initial actuation of the engine.

In starting an internal combustion. engine b means of a starting mechanism of the above-indicated character, a shock is occasioned if the pinion teeth meet end to end with the teeth of the engine gear wheel. In many cases, the teeth of the engine gear wheel are damaged as a result of the impact incident to the forced meshing of the gear teeth. Moreover, the starting mechanism is subjected to a severe shock when the motor pinion meshes with the engine gear Wheel and the motor is suddenly subjectedto the load of actuating the engine.

My invention is an improvement upon the starting mechanism disclosed in the application of Charles H. Hodgkins and Carl H. Kindl, Serial No. 331,599, filed Oct. 18, 1919 and assigned to the Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Co.

The present invention provides means for absorbing such shocks as may be caused by the clashing or the meeting of the pinion teeth end to end with the teeth of the engine gear wheel. Moreover, means is provided for not only relieving the starting mechanism of the shock occasioned by the starting of the internal-combustion engine but also for maintaining the pinion in meshed relation with the engine gear wheel during the entire operation of cranking the eng ne.

More specifically, one mechanism for practicing my invention comprises a motor pinion which is rotatably and .slidably mounted on the shaft of the starting motor andwhich is moved axially into mesh with an engine gear wheel.

Springs of different strengths are provided for the purpose of absorbing shocks that may occur under the conditions previously set forth.

In the accompanying drawing,

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a starting mechanism constructed in accordance with my invention; and

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the starting mechanism shown in Fig. 1.

Referring to the accompanying drawing, a starting motor- 1, having an armature shaft 2, is provided for rotating an engine gear wheel 3 to crank an internal-combustion engine (not shown). The en ine gear wheel preferably comprises the. y wheel of the engine having gear teeth out in the periphery thereof.

A motor pinion 4 is slidably and rotatably mounted on the motor shaft 2. A collar member 5, which is fixedly mounted upon the shaft 2, is provided for limiting the movementof the pinion 4 in one direction, and a second collar member 6, which is also fixedly mounted on the motor shaft, limits the movement of the motor pinion in the opposite direction. A sleeve member 7 which may be joined to the pinion 4 in any convenient manner, is preferably integral there with, as shown in the drawing. Two arcuate slots 8 and 9 are formed in the sleeve member 7 for a purpose to be hereinafter set forth.

"A second sleeve member 10 is mounted on the motor shaft 2 within the sleeve member 7. The second sleeve member is slidable along the armature shaft and is compelled to rotate therewith by means of any suitable key member, 11. The sleeve member 10 is provided with two oppositely disposed pins 12 and 13, which pro ect into the slots 8 and 9 that are formed in the sleeve member 7 A relatively light spring 14, which is mounted upon the motor shaft 2 between a movable collar 15 and the sleeve member 10, serves to resiliently bias the sleeve member 10 into engagement with the fixedly mounted collar. member 5. The collar member 15, which is preferably mounted for rotation with the motor shaft 2, is normally pins 12 and 13, which are attached thereto,

rotate with the motor shaft. Consequently, the pins 12 and 13 engage the sides of the slots 8 and 9 and exert a cam action which forces the pinion towards the left, as viewed 15 in the drawing, into mesh with the engine gear wheel 3. The slots 8 and 9 may be formed at any desired angle in order to obtain any desired movement of the pinion.

If the pinion teeth meet the engine gear wheel teeth end to end, the shock of such engagement is absorbed by the relatively light spring 1 1. The pins 12 and 13, which rotate Iwith the motor shaft, move along the inclined surfaces of the respective slots, and

the resulting cam action forces the pins and the sleeve 10 along the shaft 2 to the right, as viewed in the drawing, to compress the sprin 14. The spring 14 serves to hold the pinion 4 in engagement with the engine gear wheel 3 until the teeth register and meshing is effected.

When the motor pinion meshes with the engine gear wheel, the load, which is suddenly placed upon the starting motor, produces a shock that is substantially absorbed by the relatively heavy spring 17 the relatively light spring 14 being of insufficient strength to entirely absorb such shock. The sudden iappl-ication of the torque of the rapidly rotating motor to the stationary engine causes the cam action of the pins and slots to actuate the sleeve 10 to the right into engagement with the collar member 15. The spring 14 is substantially completely compressed and the spring 17 is compressed to a degree dependent upon the torque required to overcome the inertia of the engine. The spring 17 is of such strength as to be substantia ly unaffected in case clashing occurs during the meshing operation. During the meshing of the pinion with the gear wheel and also during the cranking operation, an shock which may be encountered is trans erred to the spring members 14 and 17 by means of the cam action between the slots 8 and 9 in the sleeve member 7 and the pins 12 and 13, which are mounted on the sleeve member 10.

The relatively heavy spring 17 also serves to maintain the pinion in meshed relation with the engine gear wheel during the complete cranking o eration. It is well known that internal com ustion engines have points of high compression during revolution of their crank shafts, corresponding in number to the cylinders of the engines. When an engine is aproaching one of the compression points, considerable power is required to rotate the shaft. Upon passing one of the compression points, the engine rotates faster, and the result is similar to that in case the engine starts, in that the pinion may be actuated at such speed as to etfect its automatic disengagement. The spring 17, however, serves to store energy when increased torque is re uired and to apply torque to the pinion w en the engine speed increases temporarily. The spring operates to compensate for variations in torque required and thus maintain the pinion 4 in mesh with the engine gear wheel. a

When the engine is started and the gear wheel 3 is operated at a greater speed than the motor pinion 4, the pinion is moved towards the right, as viewed in the drawing, by means of the cam action between the slots 8 and 9 and the pins 12 and 13 t0 demesh the pinion from the engine gear wheel.

In the starting mechanism above described, it will be noted such mechanism is protected by a relatively light spring, in case thepinion teeth clash with the teeth of the engine gear wheel, and such mechanism is protected by a relatively heavy spring during the initial cranking operaton. Moreover, the light spring serves to hold the pinion in engagement with the engine gear wheel until meshing of the teeth, and the relatively heavy spring serves to maintain the pinion in meshed relation with the engine gear wheel durng the entire cranking operation.

Modifications in the mechanism and in the arrangement and location of parts may be made within the spirit and scope of my invention, and such modifications are intended to be covered by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a starting mechanism, the combina tion with a motor pinion and an engine gear wheel, of means for moving the pinion axially into mesh with the engine gear wheel, and springs having different strengths one of which operates to absorb the shock in case the ends of the pinion teeth engage the end of the gear wheel teeth and both of which operate to absorb the shock of initial actuation of the engine. i

2. In a starting mechanism, the combination with a motor, a motor pinion operated by said motor, and an engine gear wheel, of

means for moving said pinion axially into mesh with the engine gear Wheel upon starting of the motor, a relatively light spring for absorbin the shock produced in case the teeth of the pinion and gear wheel clash, and a relatively heavy spring for assisting said light spring to absorb the'shock caused by the initial actuation of the engine,

- 3. In a starting mechanism, the combination with a motor, and a pinion rotatably and slidably mounted on the armature shaft and" rotatable with, the armature shaft, pins mounted on said second sleeve member and projecting into the slots in the first sleeve member, 'and two springs of different strengths for biasing the second sleeve member in one directon'; relatively to said shaft.

4. In astartingmechanism, the combination with amoto'r, a pinion slidably and rotatably mounted on the shaft of said motor, and an engine gear wheel, of means comrisin a sleeve member mounted on the armature shaft, and a pin-and-slot connection between said inion and the sleeve member for effecting t e meshing of the pinion with the engine gear wheel, and two spring members of different strengths for cushioning shocks transmitted to said sleeve member.

5. In a starting mechanism, the combination with two relatively movable gear wheels, and a motor having a shaft, of means for shifting one of said gear wheels into and out of mesh with the other gear wheel, said means comprising a pin-and-slot connection between said shaft and one of said gear wheels, a spring that is placed under stress when the teeth of the respective gear wheels clash, and a second spring that is placed under stress upon the meshing of the teeth of the two gear wheels and the placing of the first-named spring under a predetermined stress.

6. In a starting mechanism, the combination with two relatively movable gear wheels, and a motor having a shaft, of means for shifting one of' said gear wheels into and out of mesh with the other gear wheel, said means comprising a member connected to one of said gear wheels and havingan inclined slot, a member coacting with'the surfaces of said slot, a relatively light spring for absorbing the shock produced in case the teeth of. the two gear wheels clash, and a relatively heavy spring for assisting the first spring under other conditions.

7. In astarting mechanism, the combination with a gear wheel, a motor having a shaft, and a pinion on said shaft, of means whereby the rotation of said shaft effects the meshing of said pinion with said gear wheel. said means comprising a member connected to said pinion and slidably mounted on said shaft for rotation therewith, and means com- I prising springs of different strengths for absorbing the shocks encountered under different conditions during the meshing and cranking operations.

8. In a starting mechanism, the combination with a shaft and a pinion, of means for effecting axial movement of said pinion upon rotation of said shaft, said means comprising a member movably mounted on said shaft and a second member having a pin-and-slot connection to the first member, and a light and a heavy spring for cushioning shocks transmitted by said pinion under certain conditions.

9. In a starting mechanism, the combination with a motor, a pinion mounted on the shaft of said motor, and an engine gear wheel, of a member slidably mounted on the motor shaft and having a pin-and-slot connection to said pinion for moving it into mesh with the engine gear wheel, a collar member mounted on the armature shaft, a relatively heavy spring for normally holding said collar in one position on the armature shaft, a light spring located between said collar member and the member slidably mounted on the armature shaft, said light s ring serving to absorb shocks caused by c as hing of the gear teeth and said heavy spring serving to absorb shocks incident to t e initial actuation of the engine gear wheel.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 10th day'of December 1920.

CHARLES H. HODGKINS. 

